Case Study: How Stuart Weitzman used Facebook to test international markets

Companies all over the world are using Facebook’s simplified ad units to gain new customers or grow more exposure for the brand. Stuart Weitzman, a high-end shoe company, has used Facebook to learn more about how it is liked in other countries. With this data in mind, Weitzman enhanced their brick-and-mortar presence in Dubai and Mexico, among other places.

Working with social media monetization firm SocialFlow, Stuart Weitzman learned more through Facebook about their popularity in other markets, and then expanded their presence in countries where the Facebook metrics were more positive.

Stuart Weitzman ran targeted Facebook ads in different countries, studying the click-through rates. In Dubai, where the company expanded their small presence inside of a mall, ads reached 242,560 users and had a click-through rate (CTR) of 3.6 percent. In Taiwan, one post earned more than 10,000 likes with a 5.9 percent CTR. This led to the brand earning 2,500 more Facebook fans in that country.

In Mexico, Stuart Weitzman already had a passionate Facebook following. The ads targeted there reached 859,392 users and had a CTR or 5.5 percent. The ads for South Korea reached 272,682 users, earning Stuart Weitzman 1,785 new fans, and had a CTR of 4.6 percent. Ads in Japan drove a 5.5% CTR.

The company’s Facebook successes in Dubai and Asian markets led Stuart Weitzman to grow their in-store presence in these locations.

Frank Speiser, the President and Co-Founder of SocialFlow, talked with Inside Facebook about how Stuart Weitzman used Facebook data to figure out where to either build or grow their stores in other countries, as well as appeal to a younger potential customer base:

They didn’t have a clear insight into how their brand was perceived internationally. What they did was very smart. They decided to take social media and offer their products and their brands to people in those markets and see how they were receptive to it. If they were, they would use that as a cue to initiate building out their store presence. If they ran some good social campaigns and got good feedback, they would then build a brick-and-mortar store.

Stuart Weitzman wanted to market to younger consumers, showing that their shoes were glitzy and glamorous — an angle that worked especially well in Dubai, Speiser said. The company changed up their Facebook advertising techniques based on the country. For instance, an image of a cityscape from South Korea was the highest-performing ad in that market.

Stuart Weitzman also tied a cityscape to their shoes in their Taiwan campaign, leading to a high CTR.

Readers: Do you use Facebook ads to test reception, as Stuart Weitzman did?

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